4* & 5* South America Wine Tours - Chile Wine and Gourmet Tour

Wednesday: Fly from Santiago de Chile straight south to Puerto Montt . The gateway to Chile's lake district: You start with a City tour of Puerto Montt:

Your southamerica.travel tour guide will accompany you on your private city tour of Puerto Montt, the capital of the Lake District. German colonists on the site of an indigenous Mapuche community founded Puerto Montt in 1853. Downtown we shall take time to walk around the main squares and historical monuments. Afterwards we shall visit the port itself including the fish market of Angelmó where there is a large handicraft market full of artisans and lots of fresh shellfish.

After visiting Angelmó we transfer to Puerto Varas, to the lake side Hotel Cabañas del Lago**** Dinner tonight is included.

Thursday: Full-day excursion to Frutillar and Puerto Octay

Driving around the lake shore from Puerto Varas to visit Frutillar is like taking a step back in time. In Frutillar itself there is a wonderful open-air museum with restored colonial Chile and furnishings from the early German settlement period, as well as an operating blacksmith shop. Throughout the summer there are various festivals of classic music organized in Frutillar. Later we will continue to Puerto Octay. Drive back in the afternoon to Puerto Varas.

Friday: Full-day excursion to Ancud on the Pacific Island of Chiloe

Today you will set out driving south to the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the morning. We cross the straight of Pargua by ferry to reach the Island of Chiloe. From here we continue southwards to Ancud. Founded in 1767 as a Spanish Fort, Ancud was chosen because of its strategically important location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was the first port for the ships sailing around the Cape Horn, through Magellan's straight continuing northwards along the West Coast of South America.

Ancud is situated on the North of the Island of Chiloé. Enjoy the atmosphere around the harbor and the market place for which the town is famous for. We will visit the Museo Regional, which has a very good presentation of the culture and history of the region. It shows the typical churches of Chiloé as well as many Indian mythological characters. In the courtyard you can find an imitation of the very first steamship of the Chilean Navy, which was called Ancud, and was used for exploring the channels of South Patagonia and claiming the territory for Chile in the middle of the 19th century.
After spending an enjoyable day we drive back and return to Puerto Varas in the late afternoon.


Saturday: Full-day excursion to the Todos Los Santos Lake

In the morning we set out for a full day in the foothills of the Andes. We shall drive along the shore of Lago Llanquihue and enjoy breathtaking views of the volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco. Our first real stop however will be at the Saltos de Petrohue (entrance fee of 2 US$ unfortunately could not be included for administrative reasons) This series of rapids and waterfalls were formed long ago by the cooling lava from the Volcano still towering behind them. They form an impressive sculpture of extruded volcanic rock shaped by thousands of years of thundering water flow.

Upon arriving at the landing at Petrohue we shall board the catamaran and prepare for our crossing of Lago Todos los Santos. Lago Todos los Santos (All Saints Lake) is surrounded by high mountains whose lower slopes are thickly forested. As we pull away from the landing and the source of the river Petrohue, the view is quickly stolen away by the tremendous size and proximity of snowcapped Volcano Osorno behind us.

The rest of the morning will be spent on the water. To the south, high above the forested shore you will see the peculiar shape of Volcano Puntiagudo and a series of waterfalls. We shall arrive in Peulla (pronounced p-way-a), at the eastern end of the lake around lunchtime. This is the heart of National Park Vicente Pérez Rosales. Here we shall enjoy a lovely hike to the Cascada de la Novia or the Bride's Waterfall amidst native growth "Valdivian Rainforest". In the late afternoon we shall return by boat to Petrohue and back to Puerto Varas.

Sunday: Journey home or continue on:

After breakfast transfer back to Puerto Montt and flight to Santiago in order to connect with your flight or in order to continue with another deluxe tour: See Patagonia the Southern Andes and Buenos Aires on our The Very Best of Argentina tour or continue on the very popular Tango, Samba, Waterfalls tour and see Buenos Aires, Iguassu Falls, the Atlantic Rainforest and Rio de Janeiro